Change of Heart
by Calie1
Summary: It's time for Oliver to realize not all of his relationship will end up doomed like Lois' and his. Or perhaps they were never meant to be togeteher in the first place. Chloe/Oliver


There was just a small noise behind her, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was expecting someone she probably would not have even turned around

There was just a small noise behind her, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was expecting someone she probably would not have even turned around. When she did, there the Green Arrow stood, in all his egotistical glory. She fought down the urge to roll her eyes. On the other hand though, if she looked that good in a super hero costume her ego would probably expand slightly also. "Took long enough."'

"I got held up. What have you got?"

At that point she did roll her eyes. He was always so focused. It was the mission and nothing else. She supposed a psychologist would have a field day with Oliver. Parents killed, he was trapped on an island, runs a multi-billion company, and at night poses as a super hero. Did he ever stop? "Ever think about taking a vacation?" Even as she asked him she reached into her bag and pulled at the disk she had burned.

"No." He said and held out his hand. At the moment he wasn't in much of a mood for conversation.

"Cranky much?" Over the past two days they hadn't spoken much. When they did it had been just the facts.

"The CD Chloe."

Just as she got her hand on it she stopped. Once she handed it over to him he would be gone. Who knows when she would hear from him again let alone see him. Their mission was almost complete and she had the information he needed. "No."

"What?" He asked. For the first time the even tone of his voice changed. He couldn't think of one reason for her not to turn it over to him.

"I said no." Chloe zipped up her purses and folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not giving it to you until we deal with what's going on here. "I get it. I do. You made a mistake. But that doesn't me you have to treat me like I did something wrong." Silently she waited for some kind of response but got none. "I deserve an explanation. I want to know what happened two nights ago and why you are acting like this now."

He had been so close to getting away from her. Once he had the disk he could be gone. Most of their interaction could have been done by phone. "I'm not talking about this right now."

"Then when? When you take off again? Or the next time I see you three months from now?" When he still kept his silence she swore she was either going to hit him or throw that damn disk on the ground and jab her heel into it. She had tried to be nice about. Give him a couple of days. But that time was over. "Listen," Chloe walked towards him, her heels clinking all the way across the rooftop of the Daily Planet, "_you kissed me_." With each word she poked his leather chest. "Then it was _you_ who took off with no explanation except 'I shouldn't have done that.' When the guy who was in love with my cousin for the longest time, even after you separated, kisses me I think I deserve an explanation. Especially, as to why he so rudely took off after and has treated me like crap since then. Now talk." When he opened his mouth she cut him off. "And look me in the eye. I'm not talking to the Green Arrow." He frowned at her but relented.

Slowly, Oliver removed his glasses and pushed his hood back. Those two things alone left him feeling vulnerable. He didn't want her to see him. "It was a mistake."

"That doesn't answer my question. I want to know why."

"Because what you said was right. I loved your cousin and she loved me, but she couldn't deal with it. Even that was a mistake don't you think? Obviously she and I weren't meant to be together. I learned from that mistake. The other night was a momentary lapse in judgment. It won't happen again." It had been a fluke nothing more.

That night he'd woken her from his sofa, where she had fallen asleep waiting for them to return, and couldn't help it. She'd looked up at him tiredly with a soft smile on her face. Just as he had tried to turn away her hand came up to cradle his cheek and when he looked back at her she was looking at him with concerned eyes and had asked him about the fresh bruise on his cheek. It had hurt, but not at that moment. He'd forgotten everything and just leaned forward and kissed her. Then just as soon as he had done so he remembered why he had never kissed her before and pulled away with an apology. After that she had left, without even a word.

"So fine, you say you made a mistake. But why are you treating me like this?" What made it even worse was that he had kissed her. For one moment it had felt wonderful then he had pulled away from her.

"You're serious right? I mean I kissed you Chloe. You don't think that crosses the line a little." She didn't say anything and he hoped her silence meant she understood. "Look I'm sorry. I made a mistake. But I just have to leave right now." He just had to get away from her. Oliver had been well aware before of his attraction to her but it hadn't been anything huge. At first he had felt guilty, she was after her Lois' cousin. But when he could talk to an attractive girl that knew all of his secrets it was hard not to feel that way. His attraction to her had been easy to ignore though, and up to a couple of days ago it hadn't been a problem. Now it was. Now he couldn't safely be around her. The small little crush he had on her had grown at some point into something more.

"Fine." Chloe looked down at her purse and dug her hand into it reaching blindly for the CD while trying to blink away her tears. When she found it she grabbed his hand and thrust the case into it. "Have fun with it. This is the only thing that makes you happy any way."

She turned and begun walking away from him. "You know why I do this. It's about more than just me."

She spun on him and knew he could probably see the tears in her eyes. Angrily, Chloe wiped away the one tear that had fallen. She hated him seeing her like this. "Always willing to sacrifice yourself but you don't care that you may be sacrificing someone else's feelings."

The last thing Oliver had intended to do was hurt her. That was why he had never acted on his growing feelings on her. Yet here he was watching her cry.

"Last time I checked Lois left because _she_ couldn't handle it! I'm not Lois! I've been doing this since high school!" Chloe took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "Congratulation Oliver, you got what you wanted. But you don't have to leave this time. I will." Just as she turned to leave she stopped and turned back from him. "And for your information," as she began she knew she was going to regret it, "all of you explanation of why you and Lois didn't last aren't real. She told you she couldn't handle it but right now she's in the arms of Clark Kent _well_ aware of the fact that he's Superman. Perhaps it wasn't the fact that she wasn't ready, maybe it was just that you and her weren't meant to be."

He barely paid attention to her leaving. All he could see were Clark and Lois. One person he was friends with and the other he had loved. How long had they been having a relationship behind his back. Was it any worse than him kissing Chloe? Probably not. But Lois had to have known what that meant. She had to known just being with Clark had made her the biggest hypocrite. So for the longest time he had been resolved not to get to involved with anyone because he thought it was him. Lois made him believe he wouldn't be able to have a real relationship with anyone. Had all his reasons been a lie?

"Idiot." Chloe shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheek. She had cared for him long before that fateful kiss. But she'd always assumed the feelings were one side. She had been fine continuing to believe that. A hand wrapped around her arm, pulling here between the Daily planet and it's adjacent building. Just as she opened her mouth to scream another covered her mouth. Instead of coming face to face with her attacker he pulled her back against his chest.

"You didn't lie back there did you?"

If Oliver's hand hadn't been over her mouth she would have breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, she just dropped her head back against his chest and relaxed. His hands fell away from her and she was free to turn around and face him. His glasses where back on and his hood up. "No. Why would I make that up about Lois and Clark?"

"I don't just mean about Lois and Clark." Oliver took his glasses off and pushed his hood back. "I mean about you not being like Lois."

Was he asking her if she could deal with it? "Of course I was telling the truth. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Chloe." He sighed and studied her face. Her eyes were wide and the tears that she had shed earlier were still evident. Did she know what she was saying? He could only hope so.

"Why did you come down here Oliver?" There was a reason and she really wanted to know why.

"What would have happened if it was you that I met instead of Lois?" He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and let his fingers trail over her cheek before dropping his hand.

"It doesn't matter now." He didn't say anything and just continued to stare at her. She had to know what he wanted. "Oliver?"

How could he say he really did want to give them a chance and see if it would work? He'd spent so much time convincing himself that it wouldn't work that he couldn't find the words. Or perhaps he just felt like an idiot. He _wanted_ to tell her , but he _needed_ to kiss her.

Again, his lips were on hers. So soft and gentle that Chloe thought perhaps he wasn't sure about what he was doing. But his arm slowly crept around her waste and his lips pressed harder against her as he pulled her closer. As the kiss deepened any thoughts that he was going to pull away and run off slowly began to fade. When he finally did pull away his kissed her lips once more but didn't release her.

"Need a ride?"

"I was going to take a cab. You're in the opposite direction." Was it really ending that quick she wondered. It seemed just as quickly as the kiss began it ended.

"I wasn't talking about taking you home." Maybe when they got back to his penthouse nothing would happen. He was fine with that considering just moments ago he had been bent on not kissing her.

"Oh." Perhaps it hadn't ended that quick she realized. Before she decided to answer him she studied his face carefully. There seemed to be no uncertainty but she had to make sure. "Okay."

He fought down a smirk and held his hand in the direction of the alley. "Your ride."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Of course he was on his bike. "I'm not sure if I'm really dressed for it."

"Come on." He pulled away and took her hand in his own and begun pulling her down the alley.

By the time they reached the bike he had already slipped on his glasses on and pulled his hood up. "What happens if someone sees me? I mean don't you think someone will think something is up if they see me on a bike with the Green Arrow."

"Trust me, we'll be going to fast for that." Oliver threw is leg over his bike and took his seat. "Anyway, how many pictures are there of Lois and Superman floating around." Now that he thought about it he should have been able to figure out their relationship long ago. "Can't expect the Green Arrow not to have fun."

She looked at his bike warily. Someone seeing her with him didn't bother her as much as the bike itself. "Why can't you just get a car like Batman?" But just as she asked him she carefully positioned herself on his bike and wrapped her arms tightly are his waste.

"Please, Batman wished he looked as cool as me." Oliver turned on the bike and revved it up. "You can't look that good with pointy ears on top of her head."

"The women in Gotham seem to like him." She teased.

"The bad weather probably gets to their head. Have you ever been in Gotham? You couldn't pay me to live there. You ready?"

Chloe nodded. "Yea." Even as she spoke she tightened her arms, preparing for the jolt.

"Are you sure?" He turned his head and looked back at her. She couldn't see his face and for that he was grateful. If she had seen him she probably would have seen the worry on his face. He was putting his heart in her hands, trusting that she was telling the truth when she said she could handle it.

His question wasn't about his bike she realized. "Yea, I'm ready."


End file.
